Chester / Central Montco - Info for Volunteers

This page is designed to offer information for people who may be seeking information on how to Volunteer for Toys for Tots

It is important to understand that this is relevant for the Chester / Central Montgomery PA campaigns only. Each Toys for Tots campaign is run independently, and have their own processes and procedures. Just like our campaign cannot be expected to offer something another campaign does that we cannot, applicants outside our area should not expect their local campaign to work this way. Your local campaign is solely responsible for how their campaign is organized

Q: How do I volunteer for Toys for Tots?

A: There isn't really an official list of volunteers. The best way to be kept posted on volunteer opportunities is to sign up for the campaign's mailing list, here:

Chester: https://mailchi.mp/040c8b103b3e/chestsignup

Montgomery: https://mailchi.mp/78bea94fc2bf/montsignup

 These lists are solely for local campaign use and will not be used for solicitation

The emails will (generally) come from coordinator@pachst.com, and end up in the spam folder more often than I'd like - so if you'd like to verify you're on the list, contact me at chester.county.pa@toysfortots.org  or montgomery.county.pa@toysfortots.org and I will check. The toysfortots.org email address is the primary one; the pachst.com one is simply for the mailing list. I try to respond to messages sent there but I don't check it daily.

Volunteers who will be performing activities in the warehouse, driving a truck, or anything similar will need to fill out a Hold Harmless Agreement and leave them with one of the Toys for Tots team members. This is necessary for the Foundation to maintain it's liability insurance.

Q: What do Toys for Tots volunteers do?

A: What don't they do?

One thing to keep in mind is that the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, the organization ultimately responsible for all Toys for Tots campaigns, has two dozen employees. Everyone else, including the Coordinator for a campaign, is a volunteer.

The majority of volunteer task involve things like:

• Driving trucks to bring gifts to the Warehouse

• Sorting gifts by age and gender

• Packaging gifts for distribution to families and nonprofit partners

• Distributing those gifts to the applicants

There are other roles that are more involved with "backend" tasks like application processing and fundraising; they require more  of a commitment than a three hour shift and would need to be discussed with the Coordinator

Q: Can kids volunteer for Toys for Tots?

A: Yes, but the roles they are suited for can depend on their age. Most younger children will need to be partnered with a parent or guardian for many tasks, which can limit the number of children from a single family that can be present for a single event. Contact the Coordinator with questions

Q: My business has Days of Service. Can we do those with Toys for Tots?

A: Absolutely. The majority of those slots are going to be on weekdays in December, either immediately before or immediately after our Pickup Weekend. For 2025, this will be Dec 13 / 14, so most Days of Service will be between Dec 8 and Dec 19. Contact the Coordinator or sign up on the list to be kept appraised on when those slots open up. 

Q: I need community service hours for school. Can I volunteer for Toys for Tots?

A: Yes. Most of our volunteer hours will be on weekends in our Warehouse in early to mid December. Other volunteer tasks can be conducted remotely but require extra commitment. Contact chester.county.pa@toysfortots.org or montgomery.county.pa@toysfortots.org for more details